Drying and pressing machine



Jan. 5, 1932. H. n. FORSE DRYING AND PRESSING MACHINE Fiied April 14, 1930 I N VEN TOR. flax/er .U. Farsi.

I'IIIIIIIIII'I'II'I" ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 5, 1932 UNITED STATES- my 1). mass, or unnasozt, manna DRYING m ranssme mcnmn a ncaaon filed A ril 14, 1930. Serial Ira-444,014.

This invention relates to steam pressing machines.

The chief object of the invention is to ar-' range the buck and head of a pressing machine such that vacuum or heated air drying can be accomplished by the buck and head when associated in pressing position.

The chief-feature of the invention consists in the provision of a vent for the steam pressingchamber WhlCh vent is normally open to the atmospheric and which may be automatically closed for pressing, and which is automatically opened for vacuum drying.

Another feature of the invention consists in the preheating of the air in the head before it passes through the garment to the vacuum chamber in the buck.

The full nature of the invention will be fully understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

i Fig. "l is a top plan view of one form of a top of a garment press embodying the invention. Flg. 2 is a central sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig.

2 and of a portion of a modified form of the device.

In the drawings 10 indicates the buck so-provided with a perforated plate 11 with v which is associated a combination pressing and vacuum chamber construction 12. The buck may be covered in the usual manner as indicated at 13 and-heated by coil or conduit 9.

A similar or identical, but preferably complementary, head construction 14 is similarly provided with a perforated plate 15 covered as at 16 and chambered as at 17 and heated by coil 8. For the purpose of this invention only the steam supply line 18 is illustrated.

'Valve 20 is interposed between line 18 and the connection 21 to the steaming chamber. The valve stem 22 projects fromvalve 20. The valve 20 is so arranged that depression of the stem 22 permits steamlio pass directly from conduit 18 to connection 21 and to th steam chamber. I

The head is pivotally supported at 23 $2 through the arms 24 by the connections 25 shown in .Fig. 1. A handle construction 26 is positioned forwardly of the head and above the same. Tilting and lowering movement of the handle secures lowering movement of the headuntil-it engages the garment 'placed upon the buck therebeneath, whereupon the usual pressing operations are employed.

The initial application of steam to the head breaks down the garment, taking out all creases and wrinkles. The temperature of the head for pressing purposes has been maintained by coils 8.: Discontmuance of the steam and elevation of the head permits the garv ment to dry .unless other and accelerating drying operations are employed as hereinafter set forth. v

To supply the steam to the head when the head is in pressing position, an abutment 27 carried by a lever arm 28 pivotally supported at 29 is provided.- Depression of arm 28 by actuating the hand engageable portion 30 causes the abutment 27 to depress the valve stem 22 and open the steam valve to secure steam supply to the chest in the head.

The hand operation of lever 28 may be sup- 7 plemented by the addition of mechanism so that the lever 28 is actuated by a foot treadle construction as shown in the co-pending application Serial No. 447,353, filed April 25, 1930, entitled Pressing machine.

The steam chest construction 17 includes a vent 31 and communicating therewith is a valve chamber 32 in which is mounted the valve 33 carried by stem 34. A spring 35 normally maintains valve 33 in open position so that the chest 17 normally vents to atmosphere through the mouth 36..

Pivotally supported upon bracket 37 at 38 is a yoke construction 39 havin a lateral arm 40. The valve stem 34 is slid ly mount-, ed in the bearing 41 and extends throu h the I yoke construction and mounts a sprin the tension of which is adjusted by the ual nut construction 43.

-Depression of lever 28 causes the same to on go the lateral in 40 carried by lever 39 an causes said yo e to compress spring 42 and thus 'elevate the valve stem to close the valve 33 in opposition to spring 35. .The timing'of this action may be oft also-called IIS delayed action type with respect to the opening of the valve 20 b depression of stem 22 when the abutment 27 engages the same. The purpose of this delayed action is to permit the steamto enter the chest and drive out the air through the vent or substantially. accomplish such scavenging. At the proper time, therefore, the vent valve 33 is closed and continued application of the steam pressure to the steam chest permits the steam to pass through the apertures in the plate 15 for steaming the garment. The lever 28 includes an extension 44 and a spring 45 may be associated therewith to normally maintain the arm 28 in the elevated and non-actuating position. 4

After proper steaming, lever 28 is released, valve 20 closes, the steam exhausts from chamber 17, Vacuum or suction applied to line 7 in the buck sucks the air from vent 36 through chambers 17 and 12 and through the garment. The air in passing through chamber 17 is preheated before engaging the gar ment for drying same.

If desired, a fan may be connected to pipes 7 and vent 36 and the air circulated for drying by blowing or suction as desired.

In Figure 3 a modified form of the invention is illustrated, and in this form of the invention like parts are indicated by numerals of the one hundred series. This form of the invention includes a piston 150 slidably mounted in cylinder 151, said piston being normally retained upwardly by spring 152 so that-the stem 153 is normally elevated and only is projected into engagement with the lateral pin 141 carried by the lever 139 when steam pressure is applied to the cylinder 151. Steam pressure is applied to cylinder 151 through line 160 which is connected to line 121 between the valve 120 and the chest 117. Interposed in said line 160 is a regulating valve 161 so that predetermined time action or delay may be obtained to permit air venting of the chest if and when desired. In this form of the invention, therefore, the application of steam to the chest through the branch line 160 automatically controls the vent valve of said chest to vent the chest and then seal it. Upon cutting off the ressure by valve 120, spring 152 becomes e ective and returns the piston to the head of the cylinder which permits the valve 133 to open due to the, spring 135, whereu on the steam in the chest exhausts to atmosp ere through the vent136. Spring 152 becomes effective since the pressure in cylinder 151 gradually leaks out by way of the bleeding port 180.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a garment pressing machine, the combination of a-movable presser head including a garment steaming chamber, a valve controlling the supply of steam thereto, a vent for said chamber, a valve carried by the head i and for said. vent, means constraining said vent valve toward venting position, and means operable when the steam valve is open to close said vent valve.

2. In a garment pressing machine, the combination of a movable presser head including a garment steaming chamber, a valve controlling the supply of steam thereto, a vent for said chamber, a valve carried by the head and for said vent, and a manually operable lever operatively associated with both valves and arranged to open the steam valve and close the vent valve.

3. In a garment pressing machine, the combination of a movable presser head including a garment steaming chamber, a valve controlling the supply of steam thereto, a vent for said chamber, a valve carried by the head and for said vent, a manually operable lever operatively associated with both valves and arranged to open the steam valve and close the vent valve, and means associated with the lever andvalves whereby when released from manual constraint the same are automatically returned to steam closing and chamber venting position.

4. In a garment pressing machine, the combinationof a movable presser head including a garment steaming chamber, a valve controlling the supply of steam thereto, a vent for said chamber, a'valve carried by the head and for said vent, a manually operable lever operatively associated with both valves and arranged to open the steam valve and close the vent valve, a piston and cylinder construction in communication with said chamber, a power supply communication thereto controlled by the steam valve, and means operatively associating said piston with said vent valve whereby operation of the steam valve automatically secures predetermined operation of the vent valve.

5. In a garment pressing machine, the combination of a movable presser head including a garment steaming chamber, a valve controlling the supply of steam thereto, a vent for said chamber, a valve carried by the head and for said vent, and means arranged to operate said valves in a predetermined time relation wherebyone is closed while the other is open and vice versa.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto aflixed in Si ature.

y HARRY D. FORSE. 

